While St. Augustine is
world known for its historical attractions, no vacation in Florida would be complete without a trip
to the beach. The St. Augustine area contains several wonderful beaches, from the wide, white sand
of Anastasia State Recreation Area to the untouched shoreline of Gamble Rogers State Park. Our site
lists the best of St. Augustine beaches , so make it a point to spend an hour or a day visiting at
least one of them.
Anastasia Island Beach
Located
on the northeast corner of the town of St. Augustine Beach, Anastasia Island State Recreation Area
features one of the finest beaches on the east coast of Florida. A wide, fine-grained beaches serves
to allow cars to travel in both directions and park several rows deep. There is no charge to drive
along the four mile beach, other than the state park entrance fee.
Beyond the beach, Anastasia Island State Recreation Area offers a myriad of shoreline diversions.
There's a great windsurfing spot, complete with launch site and parking lot, on the calmer inlet side.
Surfboards, windsurfers, kayaks, and canoes can be rented at the concession stand, which also offers
instruction on board surfing and windsurfing. Campers will delight in the wooded, 139-site campground
bordering the inlet. All in all, this wonderful state park invites the visitor to come and stay for
the day or week.
Crescent Beach
South
of St. Augustine Beach, the small beach community of Crescent Beach combines hometown atmosphere
with some of the nicest beaches in the area. Nine beach accesses and two oceanfront parks are
located in the stretch of land between Crescent Beach and the Matanzas Inlet. At. Frank Butler
County Park, you'll find beach access on the east side, a boat ramp into the Intracoastal
Waterway on the west side, and picnic pavilions and restrooms on both sides. Off beach parking
is free. Within the town of Crescent Beach proper, the town maintains five street-end beach
access points, along with picnic tables, restrooms, showers, and lifeguards. At the south
end of the island, Matanzas Beach is located at the federally owned Fort Matanzas National
Monument. A free ferry from the mainland to Matanzas Island and its namesake fort leaves every
hour. The main attraction at the beach here is the fishing, reputed to be some of the best in Florida.
The
relative lack of development north of Ormond Beach had had eloquent repercussions on its beachfront.
N. Peninsula State Recreation Area is a prime example of this, featuring 900 acres of pristine
shoreline and protected dunes. Created as part of a massive, multi-state effort to save the
endangered loggerhead sea turtle, the state park is primarily a nature preserve and refuge. No
parking is allowed along the road and no dune crossovers are provided. Visitors can park at a
free lot along Highway A1A or hike north from Ormond-by-the-Sea and have one of the most beautiful
and secluded beaches - two miles in length - all to themselves.
The sheer beauty of the park more than makes up for its lack of amenities. There are no facilities
at the park, so be sure to bring a cooler of drinks with you. Parking is free at the lot on A1A or
along the road in Ormond-by-the-Sea to the south. In addition to swimming and sunbathing, fishermen
will delight in the state park. Surf casting along this stretch of coast is enough to make an
angler's eyes well up with salt water. Fish get trapped inside the offshore bars, and fishermen
have a field day casting for them.
